Various types of comestibles have a more pleasant taste when mixed or otherwise consumed with liquids. Certain foods, such as ready-to-eat cereals, are specifically manufactured with the intent of mixing the cereal with liquid, such as milk, prior to consumption. Typically, these foods become more palatable when a limited amount of liquid is absorbed by the dry cereal.
The process of combining liquids with dry comestibles can produce difficulties. The palatability of such combined foods is dependent on the amount of liquid absorbed by the food. For example, many ready-to-eat cereals are not particularly palatable when eaten dry, without any liquids. Correspondingly, the same cereal, having absorbed too much liquid, can become soggy and undesirable. This can happen if cereal is left sitting in milk too long. The best result is typically achieved when cereal is combined with the milk and eaten immediately.
It is sometimes desirable to eat breakfast “on-the-run”, in a car or office. To have such a meal, the food must typically be “finger food”, or food that can be held with one hand while it is consumed. To do this with a bowl of cold cereal is virtually impossible, because of the need to use a spoon with the bowl to retrieve the wetted cereal.
Various devices have been proposed to provide combine comestibles with liquids and provide a non-soggy mixture. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,804, a device is disclosed that has a lower liquid storage and an upper comestible storage that is compartmentalized and rotatable. At the desired time, the comestible in the upper storage is released into the lower storage where it mixes with the liquid and is consumed. Optionally, a spout can be extended into the liquid for withdrawing the liquid. This design, however, has the disadvantage of having the cereal drop down into the liquid, and then have to be withdrawn, which can be difficult when the cereal becomes soft or sticky.
A second patent addressing the mixing of cereal and milk is U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,940, which provides a two-part bowl that allows the user to place portions of the cereal into the milk as it is about to be consumed. This device, likewise, requires the use of a spoon or other device to retrieve the cereal from the bowl of milk, after it becomes soft or sticky.
Neither of the above-disclosed devices describes the claimed invention as herein described.